Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has launched Ismailia 1, the most powerful rescue tugboat in the Middle East, as part of efforts to modernise its fleet and advance local shipbuilding, the authority said on Tuesday. The tugboat, built by Alexandria Shipyard in cooperation with the Naval Forces, has a bollard pull of 190 tonnes and measures 71.6 metres in length with a draught of 7 metres. It can reach a top speed of 16 knots. A second vessel, Ismailia 2, is due for delivery by the end of 2025. SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said the authority's maritime fleet has undergone "an unprecedented upgrade — the most significant in 30 years" with the addition of 30 tugboats of various models and bollard pull capacities ranging from 9 to 190 tons. Rabie described the newly launched tug as "the largest and most advanced in the history of the authority's fleet," noting it delivers greater bollard pull than any of the SCA's existing rescue vessels. He added that the tug is equipped with a dynamic positioning (DP) system that "allows easy manoeuvring when handling external units" and features a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to reduce carbon emissions, in line with the SCA's "Green Canal" strategy. The tug is the largest addition to the SCA's fleet, which has expanded by 30 vessels over the past three decades, Rabie said. The launch is part of a three-phase plan to boost domestic shipbuilding through partnerships with state institutions and the private sector, including Red Sea South Shipyard. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
